


A Superheroine's Guide to Love and Villainy

by fromtheplanetlexic0n (themonokumafiles)



Category: WordGirl
Genre: Multi, also twobrains is gonna be tobey's dad whether he likes it or not, becky fakes being a villain, becky is also really bad at being a villain
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-18
Updated: 2017-01-07
Packaged: 2018-09-09 12:00:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8890033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/themonokumafiles/pseuds/fromtheplanetlexic0n
Summary: When Becky is caught with her back to the wall, she makes a desperate lie- that she wants to become a villain. And now, she has to follow up on that lie. While she may be Fair City's most successful superhero, can she pull off being a villain enough to fool Tobey McCallister and keep her identity a secret?Whatever the answer, this is going to be quite entertaining...for Violet and Scoops, anyway.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is partially based on Something Botsford This Way Comes, a fic which was discontinued and abandoned a few years ago. The idea of Becky lying about becoming a villain and then being forced to go through with it originally comes from that fic, but everything else is my own writing.

For someone who tried to destroy the Botsford house practically every time he set foot in it, Tobey McCallister always walked in as if he owned the place.

“I see your father cut down those bushes in the yard recently,” he remarked as he and Becky walked up the driveway. “They were quite unruly, as I recall.”

“He didn't cut them,” corrected Becky, not in any kind of mood for small talk. “The last time you were here, you crushed them with a giant robot foot.”

“Eh, tomayto, tomahto,” Tobey said dismissively.

He stood aside at the front door while Becky fished her house key out of the mailbox. She went to unlock the door, but strangely enough found it already unlocked.

“Hello?” she called, pushing the door open. 

There was a squeak and a loud thump from upstairs, before the sound of hurried footsteps. After a moment, TJ ran into the kitchen from the stairway, and stopped when he saw Becky and Tobey at the door.

“Hey! Hi! You're home!” he said loudly. “You’re early! I thought you were at a club meeting or something.”

“No,” said Becky, then glared at Tobey. “We stayed after an extra twenty minutes, because  _ Tobey  _ here got an after-school detention for threatening to destroy the school cafeteria because the person in line before him took the last chocolate milk. And as his partner for the class science project, I had to wait for him.”

“Oh, please,” Tobey huffed, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes. “I doubt you would have that judging tone if  _ you  _ were forced to watch the last chocolate milk be snatched up by some  _ heathen  _ right in front of your eyes.”

“Anyway, he’s probably going to stay for dinner,” Becky finished. “We’re going to need quiet, so stay upstairs, okay?”

TJ looked from his sister to Tobey. “Okay...and we won’t have to worry about a giant robot demolishing the house, right?” he added with a slightly sarcastic tone.

“TJ, we’re in eighth grade now!” Becky scolded him. “That’s almost high school age. Tobey is getting more mature. A little.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” said Tobey, scowling in TJ’s direction.

“For the sake of our science project, I will pretend I didn’t hear you just now,” Becky replied as TJ shrugged and headed back upstairs.

Tobey looked around as they set their backpacks by the front door. “Where’s that monkey, by the way?”

Almost as if on cue, someone shouted from upstairs.  _ “TJ! Can you tell your pet anteater he has to let me win at kart racing?”  _ What followed sounded a lot like the sounds of a monkey celebrating his latest win.

“Aaand that must be Johnson,” Becky deadpanned. 

~

“Becky.” Someone was shaking her shoulder. “Hey, Becky?”

Becky looked up from the graph she was drawing at the kitchen table. “Hm?”

“Do you have my copy of  _ Secondary Level Advanced Robotics?”  _ asked Tobey, leaning over the table.

“What?”

“My copy of  _ Secondary Level Advanced Robotics,”  _ Tobey repeated. “You borrowed it from me last week. Do you have it?”

Becky vaguely remembered the book he was talking about. She’d borrowed it from Tobey because, well, dismantling his robots during her battles as Wordgirl was getting a lot harder than it used to be. A year or two ago, she could take them out with one good solid punch, but Tobey was getting better at reinforcing their frames, and it helped a lot if Wordgirl knew how to take them down when brute force wouldn’t do the job. So she’d borrowed the book, read it in a day or two, and left it...on her bed, if recent memory was serving her correctly.

“It’s in my room,” she said, pointing towards the staircase. “But could you get it? I’ve gotta finish writing out this graph so we can get to writing the conclusion paragraph.”

She went back to her drawing while Tobey headed for the stairs. If she had known what was going to happen next, she might have gotten the book herself. 

~

Tobey arrived at the top of the stairs. A little farther down the hall, the door of TJ’s room was partway open, and the sounds of giggling and talking spilled out. Tobey ignored them and went for the other door instead; Becky’s bedroom.

It looked exactly as it had the last time he’d been in here: purple and blue on the walls and furniture, unicorns and paper hearts everywhere, but most importantly, a large bookshelf against one wall, stuffed to capacity.

He walked around the bed, studying the bookshelf carefully. There were books of every topic on that shelf, but he couldn’t see the one Becky had borrowed from him.

What did she want with a book on robotics, anyway? When she’d accused him of losing her library book a year or two back, that had been a robotics book, too. What was she doing with them? Tobey hadn’t thought her the type to be interested in the subject. (Most other people would have decided it wasn't their business, but Tobey McCallister considered everything his business.)

As he crouched down to get a better look at the bottom shelf, something caught his eye. He turned, and there it was:  _ Secondary Level Advanced Robotics, _ lying on the floor, barely poking out from under Becky’s bed.

Tobey reached for it. When he stood up, he realized he’d knocked something off the bookshelf. He bent back down to pick it up, and stopped.

The book in his hand was very familiar. It was the same one he’d spent a  _ lot  _ of nights with back in elementary school, hiding with a flashlight under the covers. And it was very definitely  _ not  _ a book that Becky Botsford would own.

_ Secondary Level Advanced Robotics  _ fell out of his other hand, and the hardcover landed with a thud on the floor of the bedroom.

He was so wrapped up in studying his discovery that he didn’t notice Bob poke his head into the room, attracted by the suspicious noise. Spotting the book in Tobey’s hands, the monkey started shrieking at the top of his tiny lungs.

Tobey jumped and spun around, startled. When Bob rushed at him, the boy let out a very undignified shriek and jumped back, looking for some higher ground towards which to escape.

“Leave me alone!” he yelped. Bob did not seem inclined to listen.

That was how Becky found them a minute later, Tobey standing on her desk with Bob trying to climb his legs, both of them yelling as loud as they could.

_ “What is going on?”  _ she shouted. The two intruders froze.

In the sudden silence, TJ yelled from the next room. “ _ Becky!  _ Keep it down, we’re trying to watch a movie in here!”

Bob let go of Tobey’s shirtsleeve. Tobey, somewhat embarrassed, climbed down from the desk. 

“Tobey,” Becky said, arms folded. “What are you doing poking around in my room?”

Tobey scowled right back at her and waved the book in her face. Becky recognized the cover, face going pale, as he replied:

“And what are _you_ doing with a copy of _The_ _Villain’s Handbook?”_

~

Becky stood frozen on the spot, mouth open, as she tried to come up with a believable excuse. Tobey waited, eyebrow raised, holding out her copy of the book.

Finally she found her voice. “That’s not-”

“Not yours?” said Tobey. “That’s funny, because…” He opened the book and turned it around so the words  _ Property of Becky Botsford  _ could clearly be seen written on the inside cover. Becky winced, cursing herself. She shot a quick glance at Bob, who looked as lost as she was.

“Do you remember that time I came to your house and we played By Jove, You’ve Wrecked My Robot?” Tobey asked, brow furrowed as he flipped through the pages.

“A little too well,” Becky muttered.

“You know, back then, you really had me convinced that you aren’t Wordgirl,” he continued. “But this is the last clue I needed. Normal citizens don’t  _ have  _ this book, Becky Botsford. Normal citizens don’t  _ need  _ to have this book!”

He shut the book with a snap and began pacing. Becky sensed a monologue coming on.

“Option one,” Tobey said. “You’re a villain. That is, of course, impossible. I’m the sixth-ranked villain in this city. I know every villain here, and you, my dear, are  _ not  _ one of them. Villains don’t use secret identities, and I would know it if one of my own classmates had started showing up to villain conferences.”

“Option two!” He stopped his pacing and pointed to Becky triumphantly. “You’re Wordgirl.”

Bob squeaked. Becky couldn’t say anything.

“I mean, that’s the only other possible reason,” Tobey continued. “It would make sense for Wordgirl to own a copy of  _ The Villain’s Handbook.  _ How else would she know all of our rules? How could she have learned them but from the handbook itself? So, unless you have secret plans to become a villain that I haven’t heard about, I can say without a doubt that you are-”

“That’s exactly it!” burst Becky, without thinking.

Tobey stopped. “What?”

“I’ve been planning on becoming a villain.” At this point Becky was not even considering the words she was going to say before she said them.

Bob squawked loudly, looking incredulous.

Tobey blinked. Apparently she’d thrown him for a loop. 

“Ex...excuse me?”

“I bought a copy of that book because I want to become a villain,” Becky repeated. Bob went nuts, jumping up and down.

_ “Keep it down!”  _ TJ yelled from the other room again.

“So, you see, I couldn't be Wordgirl,” she continued, getting her confidence back now that she had a suitable lie. “Wordgirl would never become a villain!”

“...I suppose that's true,” said Tobey, looking completely lost. 

Then he straightened. “Well, then, will you be coming to the villain conference on Saturday?”

“Huh?” said Becky, caught off guard.

“The villain conference on Saturday. You  _ did  _ say you’d like to become a villain?” Tobey raised an eyebrow. “Unless for some reason you aren't planning to go?”

“No! No, I am!” Becky could just feel it. This was a decision she was going to regret very soon.

“Listen, I’ll meet you downstairs in a minute to finish the project, okay?” she said.

Tobey studied her for a minute, then turned and left the room.

Frenzied squawking ensued.

“I don’t want to hear it, Bob,” said Becky, falling backwards onto her bed.

Bob stopped, seemed to consider his options, then sighed. He was cutting her some slack for now, although she knew as soon as Tobey left the house she would have some explaining to do.

**_God,_ ** _ why did I say that? _


	2. Chapter 2

“I need your help,” Becky said, stirring her milkshake like it had personally offended her.

“What with?” chirped Violet, from where she sat next to Becky at the cafe table. Her pencil stopped moving across the page of her sketchbook, if only for a moment.

“Is it normal help like you forgot the homework questions from algebra, or like Wordgirl help?” Scoops asked, propping his head on his hands. He craned his neck to see what Violet was drawing, and she promptly jerked the sketchbook out of his view, accidentally elbowing Becky’s arm and nearly upsetting Violet’s own strawberry milkshake.

“Hey, watch it!’ Becky protested, then considered Scoops’ question. “And- the second one, I think.”

“Which villain?” asked Violet, head tilted.

“Tobey.”

“Isn't it always Tobey these days?” quipped Scoops.

Becky leveled her spoon at her boyfriend across the booth table, dripping with chocolate milkshake. “I don’t like your implying tone, mister!” she threatened, half-joking.

Scoops just laughed. “Relax, Becky, I'm teasing!”

“It’s not that kind of problem, anyway,” Becky said, returning to her dessert. She took a deep breath, embarrassed by what she was about to say.

“I... _may_ have lied to Tobey McCallister that I was planning on becoming a villain because he was seriously onto my secret identity and now he's making me go to the villain conference tomorrow to prove it and I have no idea what I’m going to do.”

Scoops choked on his milkshake. Even Violet paused in her sketching completely.

“Sorry, _what_ was that?” Scoops coughed, winning his short battle for oxygen.

“Oh, wow, Becky, you're really screwed,” said Violet wonderingly.

“Thanks for the _support,”_ Becky said, scowling.

“But, really,” said Scoops, _“how_ did that even happen?”

Becky sighed. “He found my copy of _The Villain’s Handbook_ and was convinced I’m Wordgirl, so I had to say I’m becoming a villain to throw him off the scent.”

“And he’s making you go to the villain conference?” Scoops took a long drink of his milkshake, still wearing his Reporter Mode expression.

“Yeah.”

“Oh my gosh, I’m imagining you there trying to act casual, and it doesn't look good,” said Violet, and giggled.

Becky scoffed. “Excuse me, but how is that funny?”

“She’s actually got a point,” Scoops said. “No offense, but you're...not the greatest actor.” He was trying not to dissolve into giggles himself, and not doing a very good job.

Becky threw her hands up. “Well, you two are just enjoying your moment of schadenfreude, aren't you?”

Violet looked confused. “Um, define that for us, maybe?”

Becky sighed again, louder this time.

“Schadenfreude. A feeling of joy that comes from seeing other people's misfortune. In this case, an example would be you two laughing because I have to act like a villain at the conference, even though I’m terrible at acting.”

“Thank you!” Scoops said, beaming. “And to answer your question, yes, I am extremely enjoying this moment of schadenfreude.”

“Look, are you gonna help me or not?” Becky said flatly.

“Of _course_ we will!” chirped Violet, throwing her arms around her girlfriend. “As much as we can, anyway!”

“Just don’t count on me not enjoying this a lot,” said Scoops jokingly.

Becky rolled her eyes, but inwardly, breathed a sigh of relief. Her datemates could be insufferable, but with the promise of their help, she felt much more confident that the villain conference would be a breeze.

~

Becky had never felt this unconfident in her life.

Scoops and Violet had promised to corroborate whatever excuse she gave to her parents as to where she was going for most of a Saturday afternoon, so the Botsfords thought their daughter was at the library, studying for a very important informative essay that had definitely been assigned to their entire class. That meant Becky wouldn’t have to worry about being found out...by her parents, anyway. 

“So where do we go, then?” Becky said, trying to sound peppy as she looked around the lobby of the hotel. “This is...a lot fancier than what I was expecting.”

“Er...I actually don't know,” Tobey answered. “We always have the convention at that seedy motel near the edge of town. This is the first year we’ve been somewhere new.” He glanced around at the polished granite floors. “I think Mr. Big is funding the rent for this hotel’s conference hall, although I wouldn’t put it past him just to brainwash the manager into booking it for free.”

“You’re so casual about that,” said Becky, a little bothered. “That’s just...I don’t know, weird. Not to mention it’s not like he couldn’t afford it, right?”

Tobey shrugged. “I guess some habits die hard. I mean, I certainly wouldn't team up with Mr. Big, but what he does isn't my business. By the way-” he gestured at her- “just saying, that’s not the kind of judging attitude you want to have as an aspiring villain.”

Becky shut her eyes and reminded herself, again, to try not to act like Wordgirl. “Right, sorry, still getting used to this.”

“Seriously, though, is there a _better map_ of this hotel anywhere?” Tobey demanded, gesturing angrily to the map printed on the wall by the elevators. “I’ve been staring at that for five minutes and I can't figure out for the _life_ of me which room is supposed to be the conference hall, much less how we _get_ there!” His face was actually turning pink, like he was about to grab his remote and order his robot to smash the wall to rubble or something.

Becky shrugged halfheartedly. She’d focused in with her super hearing to see where the loudest area was, but it hadn't helped at all; all she knew was that the conference hall was to the left somewhere. There wasn't even a staircase or an elevator on that side of the room! For once, she found herself thinking Tobey’s short fuse and even shorter patience were pretty justified.

Just then, an all-too-familiar voice rang out across the lobby.

“Hey, what are you kids doing down here?” they called. “You’re gonna miss the beginning of the conference!”

Becky prayed as she slowly turned around, but the gods apparently weren't listening. Sure enough, there was Dr. Two-Brains, hurrying across the lobby with a folder in his hands.

“Dr. Two-Brains,” said Tobey flatly. with as much joy in his voice as Becky was feeling. What if he recognized her? It was a somewhat irrational fear, considering that most of the people of Fair City wouldn’t recognize her even if she paraded in front of them wearing a t-shirt that said _I’M WORDGIRL,_ but she still couldn’t suppress her nervousness as Two-Brains approached.

“Is that the updated list?” Tobey asked, before the scientist could say anything. He pointed at the folder.

“Sure is!” Two-Brains answered, waving said folder. “Hot off the presses and ready for the general meeting!”

“But you _have_ to let me see it,” pleaded Tobey, looking desperate. He actually clasped his hands in the prayer position.

Two-Brains shrugged and handed the folder over. “See for yourself, kid.”

Becky peeked over Tobey’s shoulder as he flipped through a bunch of pages and paused at the villain ranking.

“Sixth _again?”_ he complained, eyeing the paper as though the number by his name would change if he stared at it long enough.

“What’re you talking about?” Two-Brains scoffed, plucking the folder out of his hands. “Kid, d’you know how hard it is for a child villain to make the top ten?

“But Mr. Big keeps taking my spot in the top five!” Tobey protested.

 _This is surreal,_ thought Becky. At this point she was thinking about backing up into the open elevator and hitting the ‘CLOSE DOORS’ button.

“He’s an adult and he owns a large corporation! What do you expect?”

“But he has no _creativity!”_ Tobey wailed. The secretary seated at her desk at the other end of the lobby leaned out to give their group the evil eye.

“Listen, let’s just go before that secretary tries to ban you and I have to break out the goop ray,” said Two-Brains, and shepherded Tobey into the elevator. “We want to come _back_ to this hotel next year, remember?”

Becky stepped into the elevator behind them as the doors slid closed.

~

If Becky had to pick the weirdest thing about this convention, it would be how _casual_ everyone was acting. And that was especially strange, considering how casual the villains of Fair City tended to be already.

Chuck had asked her for help cleaning up his house after a big fight before, and sheepishly told her how much his mother liked her. Two-Brains had let her vent to him about how stressed she was over coming up with a good speech, and offered her advice when she was done. The Butcher had once stopped in the middle of a robbery to help her and Scoops work out their argument in a bizarre version of guidance counseling. But when things like this happened, there was always a time when both hero and villain sighed, cracked their knuckles, and got back to fighting.

That didn’t happen here. In fact, nobody was really fighting at all. Villains filled the conference hall, laughing and talking and taking food from the huge buffet table. That was where Tobey headed as soon as the elevator door opened, sprinting into the large room and leaving Two-Brains and Becky behind.

“Oh, I’ve completely forgotten my manners!” said Two-Brains, just as Becky was about to make her escape. She winced a little, turning back around. Luckily, he didn’t appear to recognize her.

“You’re Tobey’s friend, right?” the scientist said, gesturing in the direction Tobey had left. “I don’t think he introduced us- what’s your name, kid?”

“Botsford,” she replied. “It’s Becky Botsford.”

“Botsford?” Two-Brains repeated with a strange expression, and Becky panicked internally until he followed up with, “as in District Attorney Botsford?”

Oh. Right.

“That’s my mom!” she told him, and watched him light up.

“Well, your mother is an excellent woman, Becky!” he told her, and before she could reply he had grabbed her hand and was shaking it vigorously. “Even if we’re usually on opposite sides of the courtroom, heh!”

“Well… thanks,” was all Becky could think of to say.

“I can tell you’re going to make an excellent villain if you do go through with it,” Two-Brains said, beaming down at her proudly in that way he so rarely did when she was Wordgirl. “I look forward to working with you in the future!”

And of course that sent a shock down Becky’s spine as she remembered there absolutely wasn’t going to be a future in her career as a villain. She pulled her hand out of Two-Brains’, made a quick excuse, and headed off into the crowd.

She found Tobey by the buffet table, eating his third grilled cheese. He acknowledged her with a thumbs up, finishing off the last bite.

“Now,” he said, “you’re about to experience the best part of these conferences.”

Becky had eaten Chuck’s sandwiches before, but it wasn’t as if she could tell Tobey that, so she let him lead her over to the table proudly.

It was then that she noticed Chuck himself there, stationed behind the table and currently in the middle of a conversation with the Whammer. He didn't even take notice of her as she stepped up to the table- another thing she was having to get used to out-of-costume.

“I don’t really know how he does it,” said Tobey, picking another grilled cheese sandwich off the top of the pile. “I suppose it must be to do with the whole sandwich-head situation. Either way, these are the most delicious sandwiches I’ve ever eaten.”

“Here.” He pushed another sandwich into Becky’s hands. “Try it!”

Becky bit in, relishing the familiar taste. “Mmmmm,” she hummed, genuinely appreciative.

 _“Right?”_ said Tobey.

They spent the next ten minutes like that, eating sandwich after sandwich (the pile never seemed to get smaller) until the speakers at the other end of the room crackled to life, catching everyone’s attention.

“Hey, could I get everyone’s attention!” the Butcher shouted, holding the mike way too close to his face. “The conference is about to start, so you all gotta find a seat-” he gestured at the rows of folding chairs before him- “and stay in it!”

The crowd moved to do as he said, talking and chattering.

“Becky?” said someone behind her, suddenly. “Becky _Botsford?”_

Becky spun around, praying to the gods that wasn’t who she thought she heard. Again, the gods appeared to be on lunch break or something.

“You have got to be kidding me,” said Victoria Best, arms crossed, hip cocked to one side. “Are you serious, McCallister? _This_ is who you said you were bringing?”

“What?” said Becky, and looked around to Tobey. “Did you… _brag_ about this?”

“No,” said Tobey, ever the untalented liar.

“Of course he did, he can’t keep anything to himself,” scoffed Victoria.

“Hey!” Tobey protested, but then finished with, “...shut up.”

“Whatever,” Victoria said. “Beckface, you gonna sit next to me so I don’t have to sit next to Amazing Rope Guy, or what?”

Which, when Becky considered it, was technically an invitation to sit with Victoria. She would normally have been loath to accept, but if she didn’t, her only conversation would be with Tobey…

“Sure,” she said. “Let’s go sit.”

“Wait for me!” Tobey protested, and hurried after them as they headed for the seats.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter: the rest of the villain conference! i was going to upload it all at once, but i felt like it would be too long like that, so that's coming next time! i hope you guys liked the chapter

**Author's Note:**

> This isn't my first fic, but it is my first Wordgirl fic, so I hope I've managed to keep everyone relatively in character! Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated ^^


End file.
